Series that features tenants of the Clear Lake Area Community Center
Premier Complex Gymnastics
Training Strong Minds and Healthy Bodies
by Muriel Nelson
Premier Complex Gymnastics (PCG) began holding classes at the Clear Lake Area Community Center in 2007. Once PCG became the full-time tenant of what was the gymnasium of the old high school building, the area was transformed into an impressive gymnastic training center, thanks to the efforts of the director and her staff. Dianne Dietrich is the owner, gym director and team director of this organization. She also owns a Premier Complex Gymnastics center in New Richmond.
Dianne enjoys her work because she loves gymnastics and believes that it helps young people develop strong bodies and minds as they train to win their competitions. She believes that the physical and mental strengths gained from participation in gymnastics helps these athletes work through challenges and struggles in other areas of life.
Dianne has a very capable staff to help with classes and competitions. The group at the Clear Lake center includes Garret Hildebrandt - Head Team Coach, Madilyn Heinn - Summer Team Coach, McKenna Heinn - Team and Recreational Coach, Siri Yuhas - Head Recreational Coach, Kirstan Keppen - Summer Team Coach, Marlee Dietrich - Meet Director, and Adrianna Dietrich - General Manager and Head Team Coach.
Currently, there are about 100 students at the Clear Lake gym. Aspiring gymnasts come not only from Clear Lake, but also Clayton, Turtle Lake, Cumberland, Somerset, Glenwood City, Baldwin, Rice Lake and New Richmond. Most participants are girls who range in age from 4 to 19; more boys are encouraged to join and compete with the girls. There are four class, or skill, levels including Beginner, Intermediate, Pre-Team and Team. Each level has multiple classes sessions so that students can be separated by age groups in addition to skill level. Parents with interested children can start their kids as early as 4 years old and watch their child acquire a successful and meaningful outcome in gymnastics.
In addition to classes throughout the year, Dianne and her staff hold several summer camps for a week’s duration. Students learn skills to perform bar, beam, vault and floor exercises as they also acquire fitness, strength and self-esteem. Schedules and registration information for summer camps and classes are available on the PCG website, www.premiercomplex.com.
PCG athletes are frequent participants in competitions at the invitational, divisional, state, regional and/or national level, depending on the gymnastic organizations for which they have trained. Those organizations include Midwest Amateur Gymnastic Association (MAGA) or Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Training for MAGA is scheduled from September to March and for AAU from February to July. Six PCG gymnasts competed at the national AAU Championship in Orlando, FL at the beginning of July. These gymnasts included Abigail Hill - New Richmond, Ava DeMaio – Somerset, Elizabeth Edgerton - New Richmond, Rileigh Schwartz - Glenwood City, and Brenna Schwartz - Glenwood City.
Another organization, the USAG Junior Optional Program, is designated for those who desire to continue gymnastics after high school, e.g., college, teaching, etc. This program is “invite only” and offered to the athlete that has attained an advanced skill level. PCG currently has 4 athletes training in this program.
PCG is excited to have four seniors in its programs in the upcoming year. These young ladies have been training at PCG for a very long time and have worked endless hours to become the top in their gymnastic and/or coaching skills at PCG. These gymnasts will be eligible to apply for the MAGA scholarship and the PCG Scholarships at the end of season. Their journey will be showcased on the PCG Facebook page.
These seniors are:
Madison Naylor, New Richmond - team competitor, Summit Team 2022-2023
Payton Fuller, Somerset - team competitor, Summit Team 2022-2023
Rileigh Schwartz, Glenwood City - team competitor, Ice Team 2022-2023
McKenna Heinn, Amery - team and recreational coach, past competitor for the Ice Team
PCG holds two invitational meets each year for visiting MAGA gymnastic centers; the invitationals are the “Frosted Flannel” in December and the “Winter Wonderland” in January. Three different competitions are held at each of these events. Approximately 250 people, mostly out-of-towners, attend each competition. The local public is also invited to attend and can purchase tickets at the door.
This writer had the opportunity to watch a PCG gymnastics class recently. It was both distracting and amazing to see these young people execute their movements with grace, skill, and self-assurance.
Students can register for classes and summer camps at www.premiercomplex.com. For questions or additional information, contact Dianne at dianne@premiercomplex.com.
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